A Personal Project--Photographing Lighthouses

The Christian Island Lighthouse is located at 44 47' 10.5" N 80 09' 23" W. It is on Bar Point on the South East end of Christian Island on Georgian Bay.

The Christian Island Lighthouse was the first Imperial Tower to be built on Georgian Bay. It is located on an island which is mostly (except for the land on which the light is located) Beausoleil First Nations land. It was built in 1857, but it was not lit until two years later in 1859. So, while it was the first tower built, it was the last to be lit. In 1922, the light was decomissioned. However, it still stands today and displays a fixed white light. This season, a lantern house was installed (much to my surprise!). Previously the light was a fixed white lamp sitting atop a tower without a lantern house. The keepers dwelling stands in ruins next to the tower, and the shed that I believe once connected the light to the dwelling is now only a few rocks in the ground between the two structures.

I drove to the lightstation with a donut tire on the pickup. The road was very washboarded, due to the recent rain, and so I had to drive quite slowly. Upon my arrival I was dismayed to find that the beautiful new lantern room, which was new when I opened the cottage in May, had a broken pane of glass. Some vandals had been at work. Nonetheless, the tower looked proud to be protecting the channel. I photographed it for about an hour and a half.

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